And the Doubts Creep In...

I'm working on creating a "wow" ending for my MG novel. I actually haven't started changing any words, though that's my goal for today. As I tried to come up with alternative endings, I hit a road block. I began to doubt.

Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself because I want it to be good. Or maybe it's because I'm so close to the end, I really, really, want to get finished.

I think self-doubt is a writer's biggest enemy. Once it starts creeping in, it can snowball, until pretty soon you think your whole story is garbage. When I start feeling this way, my best solution is to go away from my story and do something totally not related to writing. Then the next day (or whenever) I can come back with a fresh perspective. So that's me today. Taking a chance on one of my endings, determined to make my story bigger and better.

How do you deal with your self-doubts?

Endings Are Not Easy

I think I pay a lot more attention to revising the opening of my novel than I do to revising the ending. By the time I get to the ending, most of the loose ends are worked out. It's like I feel, along with the characters, that the tension is over (and the tension of making all those revisions, too) and it's time to chill a little.

I've written before about what I think is important in a story ending. But after reading what James Scott Bell has to say in Plot and Structure, I think my ending needs a little more attention. Some of his points that stuck with me are the need to sum up the characters feelings and the emphasis on carefully choosing words and descriptions.

Bell recommends generating at least 10 alternative endings, then waiting a day or two, and then choosing the top 4, deepening them and choosing the one with the best twist. Hmm. I've tried 2 different endings for my story, but I might try this, just to see if I come up with something that's even more exciting. I want to create an ending that will make the reader think, wow!

How Will It End?

I've heard lots of writing advice about how it's a good idea to have the ending in mind before you begin writing. I don't always do that, but for my still-untitled Novel #4, I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted the story to end. Except while I was revising, another idea called to me, one that seemed more fitting for my character, and I tried it out.

So now I have two different endings. Both work, but in different ways. Have you ever had to decide between alternative endings for your story? How many times have you changed your ending?

What Do You Want From a Story Ending?

Now that I’m getting close to writing the ending of my first draft, doubts are starting to get in the way of my writing. The ending is tricky. What do I want it to do?

1. Achieve something significant for the main character. As one of my MG readers pointed out, “The mystery should be solved.” Even if there isn’t a mystery, feelings of suspense and tension need to be released. Loose ends need to be wrapped up.

2. Make sense. The solution shouldn’t come entirely out of the blue. For me, this means the main character needs to have a key role in resolving the problem.

3. Include something unexpected. Even though I want the ending to follow logically from previous story events, I don’t want it to be predictable.

4. Leave the reader feeling positive. I don’t think MG readers like stories that end with too many unresolved issues. Readers in this age group like to have something good happen to the main character at the end.

What do you want from your ending?